If you wish to pursue an athletic scholarship in the United States, Volley Trend offers much needed assistance with the preparation for taking this big step. With the help and experience of our coaches, the retired athletes, as well as players who currently compete for universities across the country, we are confident we can provide you with all the advice you need and make the process much easier. Competing at the collegiate level can be an incredible and valuable experience, so if you are truly interested it is never too early to start preparing yourself. In the following text you can find useful details about getting the scholarship to play volleyball in the United States, as well as offered services Volley Trend finds useful and practical for the young athletes and their families.
1. Introduction
• Getting to Know the Process
Competitive collegiate volleyball in the United States is organized in three associations: NCAA (Universities and four-year colleges), NAIA (smaller schools, over 260 institutions), and NJCAA (junior and community colleges, 525 institutions). Most of the time, but not exclusively, schools that want to bring on people from outside of the United States come from the NCAA, which is organized in three divisions: D1 (around 350 schools), D2 (around 300), and D3 (444 schools). D1 traditionally has well-funded athletic programs and therefore players from the other parts of the world commonly obtain scholarships to study and compete there. Additionally, a large number of junior and community colleges also brings on foreign players. A difference between the NCAA and NJCAA schools is the visa that is required: F1 and J1 (for more information visit the United States Embassy website: http://serbian.serbia.usembassy.gov /sr/studentske_vize.html).
Scholarships that athletes receive could be “full scholarships”, which include tuition, books, housing expenses, meals, athletic gear as well as travel expenses, as well as athletic medical coverage (injuries and needs related to sports). In this case, the player covers the cost of preparations to get to the U.S. (tests, paperwork, visa, school registrations fees, travel expenses, etc.), taxes, additional medical and dental insurance, as well as pocket money. How schools handle these payments (emphasis on taxes) varies, but all information can be obtained in a timely manner. A second type of the scholarship is called “partial scholarship” and the amount and the fund allocation depends greatly on the athletic program and the coach. You can find more on these institutions on the following pages:
http://www.ncaa.org/about
http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205323019
Coaches will determine the amount of the budget to invest in you based on the resources their programs allow and their evaluation of what you can bring to the team. It is rare to find all players on one team with full scholarships, and to have such opportunity is a privilege since education in America is very expensive. The competition is big, and your job is not done once you find a school you like. The scholarship you accept is a contract that can be terminated if you do not fulfil your requirements, even though this is not a common practice. Some school sign you for the length of your eligibility to play (4 years), and others renew contracts from year to year. The experience you can get is priceless, worth dealing with all the difficulties you will come across, and absolutely doable if you truly want it.
• Physical preparation
Preparations for competing in the U.S. should without a doubt include serious dedication to physical health and fitness. Our amazing strength and conditioning coach Petar Novković can organize fitness programs for individuals or groups for this specific purpose. Combining quality volleyball practices we would thus give you a comprehensive program that would make the shift to playing on the other side of the world less stressful.
• Volleyball preparation
Our coaches work directly with players who are currently students as well as athletes who successfully graduated and completed programs in the U.S. We have a significant insight into the philosophy and methodology of the sport as well as the system of the game, therefore we can help you get into good habits when it comes to the technique of this sport.
2. Preparations
• Building Individual Profiles (CV)
Creating an appropriate profile does not need to be a headache. We will gladly build your resume with you and assist you in contacting coaches across the U.S.
• Filming and Recording Your Video
Since the majority of volleyball coaches do not have the opportunity to cross the Pond and come watch your practices and games live, a quality video that showcases all your capabilities is essential. We offer to create a professional video with the help of our associate, and thus complete the whole packet you send to the schools. An appropriately done profile will help you stand out in the pile of resumes coaches receive daily and consequentially give you better options.
• Profile Presentation on Our Portfolio
You will have the opportunity to display the packet you create as your recruiting document, whether it be made with or without our assistance and services.
• The search
When it comes to searching for the right school for you, there is no magic formula. If you are positive you want to experience this adventure, your chances will increase with the number and variety of ways you reach out to coaches, as well as the level of your patience. There are a few options that are commonly used: independent search and direct contact with the schools, paying a specialized sports agent, and finding a scout (a sports journalist) who send your profile to the universities that subscribe to their talent sourcing services. The more quality connections you make with coaches the more opportunity you will create for your future. Of course, the whole process does not necessarily have to be lengthy, but it is recommended to start searching and contacting schools on time, and that way acquire the best possible information when the decision time comes.
3. Qualification
• Test prep
Every educational institution has certain academic criteria that shapes their student acceptance policies. Academic success is weighed in two parts: the class selection and GPA during high school, as well as the test results (if applicable). The first part (class selection and GPA) means that schools will most likely ask for certified transcripts that list each individual class taken and mark received, as well as the diploma with the final GPA. This is how schools check if the classes taken is Serbia relate to those in the U.S. The second part are tests that schools may or may not require and can be any the following: SAT, ACT (math and English, approximately $90 each), and TOEFL (English, $185). The tests play a big part in getting accepted to schools, and your application has nothing to do with your athletic capabilities – only academic ones. To make this process easier and quicker it would be the best for you to learn the skills required to pass these strenuous tests early. For more informations on the tests please visit these links:
http://sat.collegeboard.org/about-tests
http://www.actstudent.org/
https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about
• Math and English Lessons
To successfully complete the tests ahead of you, you will need to prepare well. If you feel that you need help in taking on the material Volley Trend can assist you in terms of classes, finding good professors, as well as practicing together!
• Application Assistance
Student visa application is a detailed and a lengthy job. Volley Trend can help you organize and give you advice on this process, which will be exponentially easier if you get information on it ahead of time. Basic Application Expenses:
- Tests, if required (SAT, ACT, TOEFL)
- Documents (translating and certifying the transcripts and the diploma, photos, sending the signed acceptance letter by mail, school application fee, etc.)
- $160 Embassy tax - $200 SEVIS (student) tax
- Proof of financial support from a bank (affidavit)
For help and advice on documentation prep talk to your Volley Trend coaches!
• Practices in English
In order to add more value to our volleyball players and better prepare them to attend school and compete in the United States, we offer to athletes volleyball practices run in English. The players would get together with coaches and athletes who are already in the U.S. or have graduated recently. We would meet once a week and gradually go through all segments in volleyball not only to get to know the system and the terminology, but also the valuable experiences from the players who have already proven to be successful in such environments.
For more informations please visit: www.recruitingvolleytrend.com